Chapoutier - Crozes-Hermitage Varonniers 2019

Tasting notes

This is a profoundly ripe, decadently concentrated expression of Syrah that straddles the lines between Crozes-Hermitage and it's more vaulted sibling, Hermitage. Plush, almost jammy black cherry and plum flavors are softened by hints of smoke, incense and clove. Velveteen in texture and wrapped in fine, pliant tannins, it's a wine that's ready now but should please well through 2026, likely longer. ANNA

Description

The small 2.55 hectare block of Syrah planted here, on the west-facing mistral-stripped side of the Hermitage hill, could well be one of the sweetest anomalies in the wine world. Its soil types, much more like Hermitage than the more rolling and often flat plantings of the broad swath of the surrounding Crozes, give it a distinction much like that of Hermitage. This plot, known as Varognes historically and officially recognized as a “lieu-dit,” is blended with wine from old Syrah vines in the Les Meysonniers site in southern Crozes-Hermitage. Only 500 cases are produced annually of this cuvée, Les Varonniers, whose name results from the contraction of the two vineyard sites from which its grapes originate.

Estate

With roots dating back to 1808, M. CHAPOUTIER is one of the oldest companies in the Rhône Valley. Yet, its world renown and the quality of wine can truly be accredited to the arrival of Michel Chapoutier in 1990. His willingness to change the set way, thirst for knowledge and open-mindedness, together with his drive to seek, discover and reflect the full potential of our terroirs, letting the soils express their true character, has put our wines firmly on the wine world map. This philosophy is what gives our wines their signature style, forms the basis of the M. CHAPOUTIER ethos and drives our team to reveal the very best of what the soils have to offer.

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